411 20 70359 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On September 11, 2001 I was at work going on with my normal day. I arrived at work around 8:30am and like always I turned on my radio. Around 8:50 there was announcement that the world trade tower was hit by a plane, so I wasn't thinking that it was a act to hurt americans but then another announcement came across the radio that another plane hit the second tower. I just started crying I thought about all the people that were in the buildings and hoping and praying that they make it out alive. It was a very sad and scary day for me and my family. I just thought that we were going to die and how short life really is. I left work and went to pick my son up from school I figured if any thing else bad was going to happen I would rather be with my family. So many people died and they wasn't able to say good bye to their love ones and my prayers go out to the families of the 911 tragedies. So many people lost their husbands,wives, and children. My heart still goes out to the many people who lost love ones. Today is a day of remembrance for all of our hero's of this great country. Thou I walk through the shadow of death I will fear no evil. May God continue to bless all of us. My Name is Sonya Pressley from Blackwood NJ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story3248.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 63.88.59.82 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was at work when my employer's wife called me to tell me about the first airplane hitting the World Trade Center. I turned the radio on and listened to the events as they unfolded. It was a horrific event and a great tragedy for all Americans. What I remember most, is talking with a coworker, Dan LaBelle about the events not knowing that in a few months Dan would also die. It just lets you know that life is short and you need to appreciate every moment and not let anything spoil the joy God gives you. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story6915.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.177.86.243 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Nijmegen, The Netherlands, driving home from my work and listening to the radio. I'm not against people who beliefe in the islam or the coran, they could be very ohnour people as well, myselfs i beliefe more or les in the bible. I'm shocked that people fly a hyjacked plane into a building and kill so much people and that is a verry big crime and i think that America has to teach the world that we cannot accept it at this planet. I think it is not the twin towers to blame, who ever could thing that planes would fly into the towers ? Gertjan Heinen Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story7334.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-14 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 62.194.188.203 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I did not see the plane hit, but I did here it, and felt the ground shake. I felt the heat from the fire, and the bus I was driving had airplane fuel all over the outside. I still am having trouble talking about the day. I still drive a shuttle bus around the Pentagon. I have seen first hand, what they have done to fix the building up. I know many of the workers and supervisers. 9/11/02 was almost as hard for me. to see all the snippers around, both in the air and on the ground. We are at war weather people want to admit this or not. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story6851.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 67.201.37.92 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On Tuesday September 11th, my roommate and I were returning from a vacation in Turkey. Six hours into the flight, somewhere over the Atlantic, the pilot announced that US airspace had closed and we had been told to fly to Ireland and circle until directed back to the US or to another destination. Although the flight attendants remarked that this was "very unusual," none of the passengers or crew appeared disturbed. The crew speculated that the FAA was having problems with its computer or radar system and that we would resume our course shortly. After circling Ireland for nearly two hours, the pilot again addressed the passengers: our plane was being diverted to Frankfurt Germany. Some passengers were increasingly annoyed at the delay of our arrival into JFK and the inability to make airphone calls, but nothing else appeared to be amiss. On the ground in Frankfurt, the passengers and crew left the plane. We went into a large waiting area while the crew went into the terminal (I believe that they were being told of the tragedy). Once all the passengers were in the waiting area, a Delta representative announced that we would be spending the night in the Frankfurt area. Delta was arranging accommodations and ground transportation. She then told us that "due to events in the United States" we would most likely not be departing on Wednesday. Immediately, passengers turned to eachother and the Delta representative asking "What events?" Several passengers whipped out cel phones, dialing frantically to the United States and Turkey. Reports they received, full of misinformation, spread quickly among the passengers: planes crashing in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Washington DC, and New York; hijacked planes loose over Texas; passenger planes shot down by the Air Force. The Delta representative confirmed that two planes had hit the World Trade Center in New York and another had crashed into the Pentagon. While this news was translated for the Turkish passengers, the shock and horror of this tragedy hit all of us. We had no details of the crashes, so between overactive imaginations and the circulating rumors, panic set in. I live a mile from the Pentagon in Arlington. I, and many of my friends, commute through the Pentagon on the Metro and Metrobus. Unanswerable questions consumed me: Did the plane crash on the Metro side of the Pentagon? Did it crash during rush hour? Were my friends there when it happened? What if the other rumored hijackings and crashes had happened? This was unimaginable. After an interminable wait, we went through baggage claim and customs and boarded the busses. On the bus, we located a BBC radio station covering the unfolding disaster in the US. Starving for accurate information, we listened in silence. Upon arriving at the hotel, over two hours from the airport (due to a large international convention and the grounding of over 30 planes, there were no available rooms in Frankfurt), we scrambled to our rooms and remained glued to CNN for hours. I am not sure if what I imagined was worse than what we saw on the news. Fortunately, we were able to call home to family and friends to assure them that we were fine, and that they were safe. The employees of the hotel and the Delta representatives that accompanied us could not have been more understanding and helpful. Our flight was kept together, other than those passengers who on Wednesday elected to return to Istanbul. Stranded in a foreign country while watching disaster unfold at home is heartbreaking. Our inability to do anything was as frustrating as being so far away. Among the passengers on our flight, there was an Air Force mechanic, a Department of Defense employee, and a trained Red Cross Disaster volunteer, all anxious to get home to help. Finally, on Saturday, we were able to get a flight back to the US, not to JFK as scheduled, but to Cincinnati. Fortunately, my roommate's parents live in Cincinnati, they met us at the airport. On Sunday, they drove us to West Virginia where a friend from DC picked us up and took us home. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story68.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-02-20 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 207.154.55.118 Annotation Annotations to this item. Airline Personnel Americans overseas Rumors Struggle to get home INTERNATIONAL Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On the morning of September 11, 2001, I woke up at 5:00a.m.. I had to at University of Virginia hospital by 6:45a.m. for my gallbladder removal surgery that was starting at 8:00a.m.. The attack on the Trade Center began sometime towards the end of my surgery. As I began to wake up from the medication, I could hear some women frantically whispering all around me. I was trying to open my eyes but, they were still too heavy. A few moments later, I heard a woman cry out, "The second building has been hit. It's going down." I struggled to open my eyes. I could only hold them open for a few seconds before they would close again. I heard another woman ask if it was a bomb. Another woman responded that it was an airplane. An airplane had crashed into a building. What building? Was the hospital next? Are my children and family safe? Will I ever see them again? Was I going to die? These are all questions that I was desperately trying to ask. I could now hold my eyes open but, could not speak. I couldn't move an arm or leg to get someone's attention. I heard a man say that the phone lines were down and doctors were leaving to go try to help. I wouldn't be able to call and check on my children. They were all I could think about. My beautiful daughter was 4 years old. I would not se able to see her go to prom or get married. My baby boy was only 4 weeks old. He would never have a chance to get to know me or know how much I loved him already. At this point, I began to cry. As I cried, I was making a weak moaning sound. That got the attention of a nurse passing by. She grabbed my hand and told me that I was alright. She held my hand for a few minutes. Finally, i was able to get out a few words. "Where is the airplane?" She studied my face for a moment and asked, "The airplane that crashed?" I nodded my head 'yes'. "New York City", she replied. I must have been holding my breath because, I let out a huge breath as I broke down into tears again. I was releived that I was out of danger for the moment and that my children were safe. Yet, I cried for the mothers whose children were in those buildings. I must have been feeling some of what they were going through. It is a feeling that I hope I never have to feel again. Nobody should have to feel that much fear and pain inside. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story10215.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-11-27 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.12.96.135 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On September 11, 2001, I got a frantic call from my daughter, Alaynna..."Mom, a plane just hit one of the towers at the World Trade Center. Mom, I am in lower Manhattan going to a training class...She went on to say, "we just missed being down there, we got the wrong directions." She said, "Oh, Mom...we would have been in the subway at the World Trade Center if we hadn't gotten lost". My heart stopped a moment...then I asked "are you okay? Are the people you with okay?" "Yes", she said, "we're just scared". Today, September 11, 2002...I have a new little granddaughter, Brianna...and I know that if it had not been for the grace of God, I might not even have my daughter alive today. My daughter, Alaynna, is also a member of the New York State National Guard, and she and her fellow guards women, Felisha and Tammy, security patrolled around Ground Zero and the surrounding closed off areas below 14th Street, for three weeks...sleeping the Jacob Javis Center. Felisha and Tammy leaving behind their little boy and little baby girl, to help...not only because they are in the National Guard, but because they are some of the best kind of Americans...some of the youngest and the brightest and the ones who will help to make this great country of ours even greater. I close with, 'MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS AMERICA!' A proud mother of a NY State National Guard member, Alester Pryor from Myrtle Beach, SC. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story2514.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.153.168.211 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: It was a cool crisp day that fateful day in September and I was sitting on my screened in porch sketching. It felt like any other day with not a care or scare in my life. Then my mother came out on the porch and told me that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. I asked her if it was a small plane? She said she weren't sure. I went in the house then to watch the news report. My heart sank to my feet when I saw that second fly into the other tower. Tears filled my eyes as I looked at my mom and said, "That's an attack of terrorist." I was at first in shock, disbelief, then when the reality of that day hit me, I realized all the lives that were so tragically lost that day. I hugged my mother and we wept for the great loss of life. My life was forever changed that day. All day long I sat gluded to my television hopping that sooner or later I would wake up and all of this would be a bad dream. I sat down at my computer and wrote a letter to the editor of my local newspaper (which was printed on September 14th.) In my letter I talked about how proud Lady Liberty stood in the New York Harbor and sent out a warm greeting to all of the people who were coming to America to start a whole new life. I talked about how sad she must be as she stood errect and watched the rising sun come over the skyline of New York. I was devistated by the events of that day and they have forever changed my life. My freedom was not won by a handshake. It was won by the bloodshed of many brave soldiers that died on the battlefields of this country. As I sat and watched the news reports the days that followed I felt so proud to be an American and as the other countries told President Bush that they would fight with beside of us I felt as if God had reached down from Heaven and put his arms around all of us here in America. I didn't loose any close friends or relatives but I felt deep inside of me that I had lost brothers and sisters of this free country. I'll never forget that day in September and I feel as if that day was America's day of reconing. September 11, 2001 was AMERICA'S NEW INDEPENDENT DAY. LET FREEDOM RING FROM THIS DAY FORWARD. GOD BLESS AMERICA AND GOD SPED ALL THOSE INNOCENT LIVES THAT WERE LOST THAT DAY. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story5081.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.163.93.43 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Before I begin, I just want to say to everyone affected personally by the tragedies of 911, you're all in my thoughts and prayers every day of my life. My day started out like everyone else's. I had a Management class at 9:30 at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.I was a Junior, majoring in Fashion Merchandising. I was late for class and couldn't find a parking spot. I was mad because I had paid $225 for a parking sticker on campus and the nearest spot was a good mile away. I was listening to WKFR on the radio and the morning show reported the first tower being hit, just as I decided to park in the faculty parking because I was already way too late for class. I went inside, thinking the plane crash was an accident. Not thinking too much of it, I walked into class. Another student came running into class late and announced that it was not an accident, that a second plane had hit. By the time my class was done at 10:45, people were watching CNN in the lobby of the business college. I saw my friend Katie and she told me briefly how another plane had crashed into the Pentagon. I had class again at 11:00. It was marketing. I got to class early and spoke with my friend Kim. Neither one of us could believe what was going on. My prof. started class and there were about 250 students in my class that day. The Dean of the business college, Dean Schmotter interupted my class to tell everyone what was going on. He stated that we were under a terrorist attack and it was so far, the worst thing since Pearl Harbor. I'd never seen a business man in a suit cry before. I witnessed a lot of things I'd never seen before that day. Dean Schmotter told us that classes would be cancelled at noon that day and to pay attention to cancellations the following day. It took me 2 hours to get out of the parking lot that morninng around 11:30. Immediately I was on my cell phone trying to call my cousin Julie who was a flight attendant for United Airlines in Chicago and L.A. Then I tried to call my mom and dad and sister. The cell phones weren't working. From the time I got home at 1:45 until I had to work at 5:00 that day, my eyes were glued to the tv. I got to work a little bit early to find news of rocketing gas prices. I took my bosses car, my car and a few of my other coworkers cars over to the gas station and waited in long lines to fill up. The local news station interviewed me at the gas station that afternoon. I couldn't help but think, here I am, filling up my gas tank, being interviewed on tv, standing next to a flag being flown at half mast and meanwhile, people are searching for their lost relatives in NY, DC and PA. I remember crying hysterically, at work, with one of my coworkers. (I'm waitress and take-out server at Outback Steakhouse). We were unusually busy that night, but not because people were craving steak; because people were craving each other. We had all 3 tvs turned to CNN and local newscasts and there were crowds at the bar watching and waiting. I remember people at work, laughing and cracking jokes like normal and it made me sick. I couldn't believe I had to answer the phones "G'day, Outback Steakhouse, this is Sarah, your take-away server. How may I help you?" I wanted to answer the phones and ask people why they wanted a Sirloin and baked potato at a time like this. I had brought a radio to work with me and I played it in the kitchen so we could hear the updates. I went home that night, to my apartment, and cried with my roommates. The next day was awful. I still was suffering, mourning for the people who died, mourning for the survivors. And life went on. I wanted time to stop, so that we could all remember this day for awhile, so that it seemed more real. Maybe it seemed real to me because it hit close to home. I eventually got ahold of my cousin (the flight attendant). She was depressed for months and eventually lost her job. But I can't figure out all the people who wanted to get on with everything. People are sick of the media coverage that September 11 gets, to this day. But not me. I could watch it for hours and hours. It's comforting, yet eerie to put faces to the names of those killed that day. It's inspiring to hear about Batallion 1 Ladder 7 who lost one firefighter that day. Whether or not some people want to admit it, our lives changed forever that day. All of ours. Not ours as citizens of NY, or citizens of PA or Idaho, or Texas or Michigan,but ours as a nation. We all bonded as one race in the United States that day...the human race, and for one day there were no rapes, thefts, or crimes to speak of...just solidarity and patriotism and acts of bravery and gentle kindness. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story5934.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.12.96.8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I needed to go home and get my AP art history book I recalled as I was walking to class on September 11, 2001. I decided to leave school and run home, my house was only a few minutes away from school. I ran down to my house got my book and my mom was watching TV and there were planes crashing into the world trade center. I however didn't really pay attention to this and ran back to school. I went into my class room and everyone was sitting around the TV. People were in shock. There was total silence throughout the normally noisy building. I was confused. I then saw the plane crash into the pentagon. I remembered that my dad worked a walking distance away from the pentagon. In my mind I started to freak out. All I could stutter was "Oh my god" "oh my god". The rest of the day was different. Parents were calling the school and demanding to pull their kids out. For the rest of the day over the loud speaker they announced one by one the kids whose parents had come to get them. It didn't really make a lot of sense to me about what had happened. I was in shock. It started to sink in a few days later about the horrible tragedy that had occurred. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story10363.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-01-24 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.98.187.57 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: My Mother called me to tell me that my JROTC teacher's daughter worked at the Pentagon but was not at work that day because she was at the hospital with her husband and giving birth to a baby girl. and the first thing that came to mind is thank God for this precious child. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story5961.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.81.136.173 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Who expected 9/11? It happened as a total surprise. When I arrived in my Eighth Grade drama class, I would never have guessed that there would be a terrorist attack. However there I was sitting in disbelief with the rest of my drama class watching the news in shock. An announcement came on we moved to the next class. During my civics class we came in, some people were still shocked and watching the pictures on TV over and over again, and then there were some kids making flippant comments to cope with what they were seeing. Then Mrs. Gardella turned off the TV because she thought that it the news was repetitive since the reporters had no new information. She gave the class work to do, but no one cared about the busywork we were given, it was meaningless compared to the magnitude of the events that had occurred. There were frantic people crying all over, worried about their parents in the Military. I had no reason to worry because although my father works for the government, he is not close to the Pentagon. Even if I was worried, the phones in the entire school had formed lines, and the cell phone lines were hopelessly jammed. Without calling my family I walked home and outside it was a sunny day despite the gloomy events. At home I was told that everyone in my family was fine. I joined my family in silent TV watching, waiting for any new information, which if broadcasted was seldom and hardly worth waiting for. I went to bed not fully sure of what had gone down. 9/11 affected the way everyone lived their lives, for the next months it was incorporated somehow into every conversation, no matter what it was about. It related to every aspect of our lives and will never be forgotten. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story10981.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.100.127.6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was in my freshman geometry class and school had just begun. I was tired and didn't want to be bothered by math. As the class was going by, a teacher rushed into our classroom and told us to turn the television on. My teacher did and we heard reports of the World Trade Centers being hit by planes. I had been at ground zero a few years before and thought as a place that would always be there. The base of a the tallest buildings in NYC was something that I took for granted to be like an eternal thing. With this in mind, I could not believe what I was seeing and what I was being told. Other people around me were freaking out and getting scared, but I just remained in my seat wondering how this could have happened. America, with the best military in the world, the most freedom, the most accepting of other cultures; how could this happen to us. I still considered it to be somewhat far away in New York, but then I heard that the Pentagon was hit. That was when I realized that this was a real thing happening because that is where I live. My father worked in the pentagon just a couple of years earlier and I just wanted to know that my parents were okay. It was a scary time and I became alert immediately. People all over the school were reacting in different ways: crying, silent, wondering what would happen next. My life has changed. I am much more concerned about world issues now and what is going on with homeland security. I just hope for a safer America in the future, and pray that nothing like this will ever happen again. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story10876.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-09-10 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 151.188.16.21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: September 11th was a strange day for everyone, even those of us who have never even visited the U.S.A. I was 5 days from my 23rd birthday and the announcement of my engagement to Jason. I'm a nursery nurse and all was quiet at work. We have no T.V or radio in the nursery so we were all blissfully unaware of the tragity unfolding across the ocean. The first we hear of the terror attacks was when Sue our receptionist comes in looking upset, I asked what the problem was and she says, 'my mum just called, someones flown a plane into the twin towers!' We were all totally shocked and none of us could visualise what this could possably mean. To begin with we were unsure that it was a terrorist attack. Sue's mum kept us updated as to what the news was telling the country. The three of us that were working in our room that day were dicussing the implecations to our lives after something like this. Gemma, who's just 18 was terrified that her fiance would reinlist and go to war, Sophie and I tried to tell her that that would never happen, but deep down I think we all feared that happening, after all we all had partners to worry about. As my working day came to an end I rode home on my motorbike to see what the news channels were broadcasting. I was not prepared for what I found when I got home. My boyfriend was sat infront of Sky news watching broadcasters from CNN. I have never seen Jason so touched by a world event. I just hugged him and as sat by his feet to watch all that unfolded I couldn't help but cry. The visions we saw of the planes crashing into the buildings was beyond description, and watching people jump from one hundred floors up was inconprehensable, until you saw what followed. The collapse of the towers was the most horrifying sight I ever saw and ever hope to see. I have no idea how long we sat there and watched the news for, three, four hours at least. For the next few days that was all the world thought and talked about, I watched hours worth of news every day, we went to Gemma's house in our lunch breaks to see what else had been discovered that day, and we all shed tears for what we saw and read. The events of September 11th touched us all deeply, my birthday and engagement no longer seemed important, the important thing was we were alive to get engaged. I know I told all those dear to me how much I love them that week, after all who knew if England would be similarly targetted. We all knew someone, who knew someone who was in New York on that day, and we had to wait to hear from them aal, sometimes hours, sometimes days, and some not at all. The long lasting effects on us? Who knows. As for my family, my sister had a near breakdown from fear of it happening hear. She couldn't go out or speak without crying, she was so scared that someone near to her was going to die. She had nightmares that her husband and Jason were called to fight the war on terrorism and would not return. The fact that her husband couldn't join the army if he wanted to through ill health made no difference to her. As for me, I live my life much as I always have, day by day, but I'm always sure to say I love you to those I hold dearest, I never know when it may be the last time I get to say it. I never want to be the answer phone message that says I may not be home again. The biggest test for me will be this September, I fly for the first time since the attack and as someone who fears flying anyway, I guess this will be the biggest test for me. I hope the world never has to see the likes of September 11th 2001 again. 'May we never forget.' Petra. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story222.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 195.93.49.188 Annotation Annotations to this item. Military Television Coverage INTERNATIONAL Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: September 11, 2001 began as another work day for me. I arrived at the office at 8:00 a.m. At approximately 9:00 a.m., I received a phone call from my husband telling me that an airplane had struck one of the twin towers in New York. As we discussed it, we thought it must have been an accident; however, just a few minutes later while my husband and I are still on the phone, he tells me that another airplane has hit the second tower. It was then I knew it was no accident. Then an attack on the Pentagon and a plane crash in Pennsylvania. At that moment, even though surrounded by co-workers, I never felt so alone. Everyone went into a world of their own. I worried about my family, my friends and for my country. As the days have passed and America has struggled back, we still must never let our guard down. September 11th will always stay in my mind. It was truly a sad day in history, but it brought our Nation closer together and we must never forget the ones who gave their lives for us that day. Myrtle McKinney Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story2911.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 216.54.26.250 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On the day of 911 we were at are local county fair when the news broadcast came across airways.Everyone watched and listened to the news reporters given reports of the events and the stories of death tolls.When I heard all the supplies that was needed I knew I needed to be involved in this to help out the families,firemen,and everyone else involved in this terrible act against American People. That afternoon at our County Fair I got permission from are local Fairboard to park a large U-Haul truck at the front entrance of the fairgrounds and ask folks for donations and once the truck was filled my family and I would delivery the stuff to New York.Well,I made one phone call to our local U-Haul dealer to see if they would donate a truck for this project that I had set my goals to accomplish.No problem,got the truck parked it at 5:00p.m. then I needed to let the community know what I was doing. Our local radio station was set up at the fair and they allowed me air time,our local paper came and took pictures of the truck,which I was able to make signs to cover the sides and they said New York Bound From Logan,Ohio.Once somone made a donations I allowed the folks to write a message to the folks in New York.It was amazing to see everything coming in,but I was missing something.I wanted to have the right stuff on the truck not things that could not be used.I called our Local Red Cross,where I was told that I had to go through them to do this.Well.that was the wrong answer for me because once I set my mind to do something I get it done.That night when the fair closed at midnight I came home and started making calls to New York wanted to find out what was deeply needed the most.I had talked with the Red Cross in New York and they gave me the name of officer on site to contact and he would be able to help me.It was 3:00 a.m. the next morning and I had my worked cut out for me but nothing to what the people in New York was going thur.Well,boots,air masks,gloves,welding gloves,cleaning supplies,doggie shoes,and more was needed.At 7:00 a.m.I returned back to the truck with my family and friends there to help me with what ever I planned for this day.I went back on our local radio station and pleaded for these items that were greatly needed.Our local paper printed a large front page article letting folks know what I was trying to do.Merchandise was coming on and the truck was half full,folks who did not attend the fair would come to the front gates,yell out my name and hand me boxes,sacks,and anything that they had purchased.At Noon that day a gentlman pulled up to the gates and yelled my husband name and that he needed help aloading his truck,I didn't know what he had till I got over there,I was so surprised this gentlman had went and purchased 150 pair of steel toe boots in all sizes.I cried with more vechicles stopping and dropping things of people coming thur the gates handed stuff to the loaders which were teen age kids who wanted to show there help.This Community was great,but that truck was still not full and I wanted it full before leaving our small town.It was the last day of our fair and my goals where almost met,except I had alittle bit of space left and so I contacted our local Krogers store and ask to use there parking lot to finish filling this truck New York Bound.There was no problem and they put me right up by the door.Folks were coming out and handing sacks,bottled water,care items,even those doggie boots. Wow,the truck was full and I was ready to go.I came home that Sunday evening and called the officer back that I had been talking to,I told him everything I had on the truck and he was excited has much as myself.Everything I had they could use the boots,gloves,etc.was needed more than everything else on the truck but they could use it.That was the most important thing.The officer gave me directions on were to go was once entering New Jersey. We left that evening thinking driving thur the night would be best and we had my daughter and her husband following behind so everyone could take turns driving. Once arriving in New Jersey at a local Food Bank a gentleman there came out and greeted us then informed us that Jefferson Bridge had a bomb threat and that we could not go across,But,I was OK with this because I had made out to set this goal and it was achieved,Thanks to my family,friens,businesses,radio station,newspaper,and fair board the little town Logan,Ohio was helping fellow Americans in there time of diaster.We got a tour of the food bank and was amazing all stuff folks was bringing in and more trucks were pulling up to the docks.The man on the inside really liked our signs on the side from Logan Ohio that he asked me if he could have them to hang there in the dock area so folks could see where we had came from.They called over to the other side and a truck was sent to pick up the boots,gloves,and anything else that we had brought that they could use at that time. After spending about 5 hours there and meeting new people and offering our help for anything that might be needed, we decided to head for home. Once home I thanked everyone in our commuinty and gave reports to our local paper,radio,and a few civic clubs about this great thing we all had accomplished.But,I knew I wasn't done with this and never would be.Thinking about all those lives they were lost just stayed with me.In 2002 I decided to build a Memorial Wall to set-up at our local fair year after year so people would always remember this terrible day of 9-11-01.I was able to go into the internet and get information,photo's,stories,and anything else I might need.After getting the wood donated,glass,everything to seal it with my project began.There is photo's of individuals that were killed and were they were located prior to the death.Stories from children about there loved ones.This wall is not only a part of me but my family,and my wonderful commuinty.Every year this is set-up at local fair for the whole week,Memorial Day it was used in our local park for the services for that day and then Verterns Day we loaded it on a flat bed trailer and drove it in our local parade,I noticed has we drove by the folks standing on the street they were bowing there heads,hats off and salutes from our local Police,Sheriff,and Fire Department. I just felt that we had done something that would never be forgotten in this local community and New York,and everywhere else the terriost had attacked would be with us forever.The wall is 12x8 and you can differntly see it far away and up close.Someday,I would like to come to a memorail service for 911 but,for now we have a memorial service here in Hocking County,Logan Ohio for everyone that was killed that day with the wall,silence,and prayer Thank-You For Your Time: Debbie Stevens p.s.When I had the wall on the float for Veterens Day I had local Fireman standing beside the wall with there gear. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story10265.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-12-18 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 216.158.86.55 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: the morning of september 11th, i was marching on the football field of my high school. i hated marching and i was counting down the days till the end of the semester when i could drop band. so out on the field we were, totally engrossed by what the directors called "life". it wasn't until i walked into 1st period, ipc, and there was this strange buzz around the room. as i was setting down my backpack on the lab table, i heard stephanie martinez say, "two planes crashed into the world trade towers like an hour ago." it didn't really register... and then i heard more people talking about it...and what had happened...and i think someone turned on a tv. it slowly started becoming more and more real. the next period was band *gag me* and my conductor for that day was late into class, so everyone crowded around the tube and frantically watched the streams of live footage coming from NYC. it was....astonishing. i mean....how...what....why..... so many things going on at once. instant replay after instant replay, as if no one knew what had happened and we could bare to watch it "just one last time". but then it really hit hard. instead of showing a plane crash into the towers (which were both down by this time), they showed footage that affected people more. faces covered in blood, dirt, and building materials were panned across the screen, some in the arms of others, and others not so lucky and were in black body bags. it was like everywhere you looked, you saw a huge mass of people and if they were alive, it looked like they were dead or wanted to be. and then the absolute worse: a man would be running around, screaming to ANYONE, and then he found what he was looking for.... he found his wife dead at ground zero--her body mangled, drenched in her own blood, lifeless. and it was like all the life was sunk right out of him, too. life no longer had a meaning. and he picked up her carcess and held it into his breast, crying like he had the whole nile inside him. and that really makes people wanna reach out and help. more and more the events of NYC, pittsburgh, and the pentagon were becoming more and more of something that's NOT a dream, it's NOT an illusion, it's not America's imagination--it was our worst nightmare...and it came true. That night, I was watching the news (more than i've ever watched it in my entire life) and i just started to cry. i didn't know anyone personally who had died or been injured (the closest was my dad's best friend's daughter worked in the towers, but was running late to work....barely missed it). and the only thing i could think of to do was call up my friend dustin. he was my best friend and i knew he could cheer me up. i was crying into the phone, thinking about everything that could go wrong from this point on. i dialed his number and waited for a response. i heard him say "hello?" on the other end, and i said, "hi" in a voice that was dripping tears. he knew it and i heard him say to someone else, "hey, can i call you back later? ok, bye." we started talking and i finally just exploded. i told him all about my day, what i had seen, how i felt about it. i was SO sure we were gonna go to war. and that really scares me because i have lots of guy friends, and they are all older than me (old enough so that if we needed a draft, they'd be sent somewhere). and losing my friends scares me more than anything. it's my worst fear. and i especially didn't want to lose someone like him. he listened to everything, so so patiently, without interrupting once, and when i was done, he said, "it's gonna be ok, elise. we're not gonna go to war. you're gonna be fine. i'm not going overseas or anywhere like that, ok? it'll be alright." and that's all i needed to hear right then. i needed to hear his reassurance and his promise that he wasn't going anywhere. it really calmed me down, and i'll never forget how he made me feel that night. just last night, i was sitting on my bed the same way i was when i had called him, and i just thought about it for a minute or so. for me, september 11th is kinda like a thanksgiving. it's where we should all sit around and say everything that we're too scared to say, everything that's been bottled up inside, everything that should have been out in the open years ago, everything that we're holding back... and i wanna make my list right here with my "i love you"'s. First and foremost, I love my family so so so much. you guys are the reason i'm here (mom, dad) and you've cared for me for so long, i'm surprised your not sick of me yet. and even my aunts, uncles, cousins, and everyone else who has been there for me and congradulated me and helped me keep going. i thank you guys very very much. i couldn't have done it without y'all. As for my friends, especially my best friends (megan, jenna, and matt), i love you guys more than i can type in a lifetime. you guys are the greatest people every to walk this earth and you guys are the best of the best. you've never let me down and i am forever indebted to you. "we're gonna be homies forever" and that's a fact guys. you are the reason i get up every morning and WANT to go to school, the reason i keep a positive attitude, and the reason i'm here in general. megan, jenna, matt--i owe everything to you. thank you so very much. and for one last person, someone i've known for about a year and a half. Dustin, i just wanna say one thing to you, and that is this: I love you. More than you know. And I'll always be here for you, no matter what. As for my story, that's all. hoped you enjoyed. ~Elise, 16 yrs old. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story3132.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 206.77.47.2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I woke up, just like any other day, at 7 o'clock and stumbled to the bathroom to take a shower. A half hour later, when I was almost awake, I dragged my feet down the stairs to eat breakfast. My dad was in Seattle on a business trip, he would be back late that day, so it was just my mom sitting at the dining room table sipping her morning tea. I shoved a bagel into the toaster and went to pour myself some orange juice when the phone rang. My mom answered it, smiling as she always is. "Hello? Oh hey, how's it- wait, slow down, I can't understand you...what?!? Oh my god, let me turn it on right now. I'll call you back." The expression on her face transformed so quickly from content to panicked, I thought a family member must have died. But no, it was much worse. I set my glass on the counter and followed her into the living room, where she was turning on the television with shaking hands. The image of a building on fire, with smoke billowing everywhere, loomed up in front of my eyes, and the words of the newscaster puzzled me: "A plane has just crashed into the World Trade Center." Wait, I thought confusedly, as though she had spoken in Portuguese. The World Trade Center? Isn't that in New York? That really tall building? What do they mean a plane crashed into it? I stared at the T.V., not comprehending. I turned my head slowly, as if in a dream, to look at my mom. So unlike her usual self, she was totally uncomposed, white as a sheet, crying and rocking back and forth. I turned back to the T.V., then left to the kitchen to see if my breakfast was ready. I did everything slowly, and wide-eyed as if in a trance. Suddenly my mom shot into the dining room and grabbed the phone. She tried repeatedly to dial, but her hands were shaking so much that she couldn't do it. I walked calmly to her, took the phone, and dialed the number she recited to me. She made a sound of frustration and slammed the phone back down. I ate my bagel slowly, turning the pictures of the burning buildings over and over in my mind. My mom drove me to school, talking on her cell phone to my aunt who lives in Anaheim. Once I got to school, the only thing I could think about was how panicked my mom was over what we saw on T.V. Why? The full force of the whole situation hit my at about 9:30, during Spanish. The number that I had helped my mom dial. It was my dad's cell phone. I felt panic and fear flow through my whole body. I shuddered violently and leaped from my seat, startling the teacher. I went to the front of the class and asked him for permission to leave class. He nodded half-conciously and pointed to the pass hanging on the door. I grabbed it and sprinted to the payphones. I called my mom, but the line was busy. I slammed the receiver down and took a deep, shaky breath. I had to find out if my dad was ok. I tried calling his cell phone, but it was useless. I reached into my pocket for more change, but all I came up with was a dime and three pennies. I was almost hysterical, but got a hold of myself and walked back to Spanish. I ended up having to wait the whole day to find out what was going on with my dad. I begged all my teachers to turn on the T.V. to make sure nothing happened in Seattle, but none of them would. My mom came to pick me up and the first thing she said was, "Your dad's ok! Nothing happened in Seattle!" I breathed a sigh of relief and sunk into the front seat. I also used to live in New Jersey, about 15 minutes away from New York, so I visited it all the time. I can see the skyline perfectly in my mind, but I guess I'll have to alter that picture now that the Twin Towers are no longer a part of it. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8313.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.79.81.10 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: That day I was talking to a friend in Canada on the phone and suddenly he said: "I hate to be the one to tell you, but turn on your TV, and see what's happening right now!" I did, and I saw the first tower of the World Trade Center after it was hit, then footage of its being hit. Soon the second tower was hit by another plane, and it, too, began its devastating mushrooming, with its fireball, and then its collapse. At first you can't believe something like that. It's like some horror movie that we've all become too acustomed to. We even talked about another tragedy in our lives, and for a while we stared in disbelief as we talked. When we hung up in finally hit me, as I know it did him. The horror, the loss, the devastation. And that looming question: Who would want to do this? Now that we know more about who did do it, we are left with the continuing question of what to do in response. I cannot always agree with the President's approach to what we should do. However, I want to stress in the strongest terms that there are two seperate issues here: [1] How we feel about the horrible devastation of September 11, and the other [2] What should be done in response to it. I would like whoever reads this to know that I consider myself just as hurt and outraged by what was done to Americans on September 11, and that I am just as patriotic in my response to it, rallying around our flag and the country which it symbolizes. However, on the issue of what our response should be, I beg all of us to consider at every juncture whether our rage or vindictiveness, our desire for revenge, may lead us to take action which will further alienate our brothers in other lands, such as our Arab neighbors in the Middle East, and whether the inevitable loss of further human life justifies further war in Iraq or elsewhere. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1526.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-08-28 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 12.23.26.19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: September 11, 2001 began as any other day in sunny Southern California. My husband was getting ready for work and I was in the process of getting 2 of our children ready for school. I went downstairs to turn the radio on for some "get up and go" music when I heard Peter Jennings voice. That immediately made my blood run hot and I strained to hear what he was saying with the 4 kids jumping around me. All I heard was "planes hit" and I yelled upstairs to my husband Gary, that something terrible had happened. As I made my way to the television, my initial thought was that something had happened to the President. Jennings voice made it perfectly clear that something grave had taken place. The images that I saw when I turned on the set are burned into my memory. Two huges buildings on fire. I had never seen the Twin Towers besides on movie or television screens, and within two minutes of watching them burn, one of them came down. I began to cry and told my husband that I wanted the kids to stay home with me. Reports of a plane hitting the Pentagon were coming in, it was perfectly clear that America was under attack, and I believe that I was never so frightened in all my life as I was then. Gary thought it was best that the kids go to school as usual. He didn't want them to see anymore than they had. It was probably a good thing, because soon the next tower fell, and the images of people bloodied and covered with soot were coming in. I remember going outside and looking up into the sky and feeling a chill knowing that there were no airplanes in the sky. And one plane was unaccounted for. It was strange and eery. The whole entire day was surreal. The people searching for their loved ones asking for help, showing fliers, giving descriptions...nothing as heartbreaking as that. Picking the kids up at school with all the other moms and dads, we were unusually quiet, a couple of moms hugging and crying. Just days filled with sadness. I have had some losses in my life, events that were tragic and sad, but never has something happened where I truly wished and prayed that it could be taken back. Even now, I tell God how I really wish that this had never happened. It's changed so much, it's changed the world that my children live in. It's made me so extremely proud to be an American. It has made me appreciate my freedom and understand how much of the world despises our freedoms. It's made me want to instill a great sense of patriotism into my children. I will never forget what I saw and felt that day. I became more American, more proud, more a daughter of this great land. More proud of the stars and stripes than ever before. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story6506.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 32.100.6.174